


Paw's Past

by KathGrau



Series: Paws [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Slavery, Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 11:43:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6955129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KathGrau/pseuds/KathGrau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes doing the right thing lands you a new job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paw's Past

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta read. usual things with the genre involved, plus POV of an original character.  
> Background story to Paws for Christmas. Please note that this is a work of fiction and not a commentary about current or past political personalities, situations and actions.

January 2003

“What the fuck is going on here? Everyone, stop what you are doing! At once.” The man bellowing this order, with the voice of someone who was used to being obeyed, looked incredulously at the frozen display of what had been going on in the room when he had entered.

It was a tiled room kited out with medical equipment, a gynecological chair, lamps, instruments, cabinets with all kind of stickers with instructions and warnings on the outside, wash basins. Typical for one of its kind but for what was going on in it and the participants of the little drama. The main focus was a young naked woman who was hiding under a metal table in the far left corner. It wasn't easy to get a good look at what might be wrong with her because of the huge ass fully grown Siberian Tiger that was standing guard in front: snarling, aggravated and clearly willing and ready to defend the girl against the two orderlies trying to get around him. 

“Where's Mario with the stun gun? And who are you? No matter, you are not allowed in here, security will lead you out.” A male doctor shook himself, stared at the intruder and then, classifying him as unimportant, turned back to the fracas. “A'thon is not going to bite you, he knows better!” he harshly addressed the two orderlies.

“Yeah? Doesn't look like it!”

“I said. Stop. What you are doing. All of you.” This time the voice was so coldly angry and authoritative that even the tiger stopped in mid-snarl.

.-#-.

Earlier

When Major John Williams, USMC, was recalled from his current tour in Afghanistan with the order to report to Washington DC he expected to get his ass reamed good and to be sent to some desk job never to see a battle again. Reporting his CO for his abusive behavior towards local girls might not have been the best career move, not that he regretted it. It had been kind of an open secret that not all of the doe eyed beauties in the Colonel's bed were there by choice but nobody wanted to raise a stink. It made the Major's gut clench in anger. He didn't care who was that asshole's daddy and he wasn't trying to create a big fuss, but some things were just wrong. John would bust any man under his command who behaved like that, the same rules should apply for the higher ups.

He had done his homework, listened to what the scuttlebutt said about which influential Officer was said to be fair, who played politics and who might have an ax to grind with daddy dearest and would make a big mess. John hadn't payed attention to such details during his career, one reason why, after nearly 15 years in, he was still a Major. He found someone who sounded fair and not a attention whore and the rest was, as they say, history. With the result that the Marines had one less asshole on the payroll and one major with a paperwork stacked desk in his future. 

Williams, in his dress uniform, was a little taken aback when he was first driven to the White House instead of Quantico, led into an office and came face to face with the President of the United States himself. It wasn't the Oval Office, it looked more like a private study. Williams snapped to attention and looked straight ahead. 

“At ease, Major.” President Hayes was looking at him with interest. Far more interest than a Major without any clout to his name warranted normally.

John hadn't built an opinion about Hayes, he was barely a year into his stint as the Leader of the Free World, and it was too soon to say much about what kind of politician the man was, apart from knowing how to work the masses skillfully enough to get elected.

“You wonder why you are here.” Hayes finally addressed the tense soldier.

“Yes sir, Mr. President, sir.”

“General Manning recommended you when I asked him for an honest man with principles and protective instincts but without political ambitions. You were at the top of his list.”

John closed his eyes for a moment. No paperwork then. He could see himself being sent on a dangerous confidential mission, maybe as a body guard. It was better than riding a desk until retirement.

“You see, I have a huge in-house mess on my hands but no time to sort it out myself because it is not the only, let me call it interesting, legacy from my predecessor.” Hayes made a little grimace as if tasting something nasty but seconds later returned to his smooth political facade.

The major hadn't been happy about some decisions of the last President either, but he knew better than to offer his opinion. Something must have shown on his own face though, because Hayes quirked a quick smile at him and then waved him to sit down. John slowly and carefully sat down across the President, and wasn't that something he never thought he would do at all, and looked at the files that were laid out in front of him.

“Sign that first on, after reading it. It is a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement. Then study these, please. I will keep myself occupied in the meantime.” Hayes opened a folder of his own and began to make notations on a separate piece of paper.

Nearly two hours and a lot of pages later Williams sat back and massaged his forehead. This was... well. Humans that could transform into big jungle cats at will who were by tradition property of the White House. Mess didn't describe it by half.

Hayes had conferred with some of his assistants, had taken and made phone calls and the Major had mostly been ignored but for one polite assistant asking him if he wanted some refreshments.

Now the President closed his own folder and concentrated his intense dark eyes at John. “Your thoughts?”

“Mixed, sir.” Williams cautiously answered.

“Let me guess. Appalled that in this time and age there still exists what amounts to officially sanctioned enslavement of a branch of homo sapiens but considering human nature and how the dumb masses react to anything that is outside the norm, you can see a reason for it as well.”

That wasn't a bad summary at all, a little bit more smooth than the mix of expletives and 'what were they thinking?!' that ran circles around John's brain. He would have added that some people in power just loved wielding it and would make any excuse to not give even a speck of it up again, but yeah.

“I would love nothing more than to free the Felines outright but it is not possible, for two reasons. One is that it is nearly impossible to change anything that is written down in our Constitution. And let me tell you, someone got very detail happy with how full Felines have to be held, presented, groomed and educated. Additionally a lot of people are exceptionally interested in some details of this never coming to light and will veto any attempt of mine to make some changes. They would get uptight about breaches in procedure to boot. ”

Williams eyes went to one particular folder, the list of what a Feline could be used for, and could make his own guesses. Politicians delighted in presenting a wholesome front to the public, and he would guess, hope, that most of them lived true to their ideals. But some didn't. They wouldn't want some exotic looking woman, or even worse, a man, telling tales to the public of how they had sat at the other end of a leash held by Mr. FamilyValues at some private gathering among diplomats and friends.

Hayes knocked on another folder's cover with his knuckles. “The second barrier is that some of the original reasons for keeping them safe from the masses still stand. My forefathers came to America as slaves, Major Williams, I despise slavery in any form but I am realistic. Popular History loves to tell how the North battled the South to free the slaves but that is not nearly half the tale. What history, personal and general, showed me is that you can't just set someone free without preparing not only the individual for a life of self dependance, you also have to prepare the public. Until we learned to read our genetic code people fought about the question how beings who are able to change shape can be counted as human at all. There are a lot of folk tales, legends and speculation running amok but due to the rareness of this genetic mutation there is not a lot of real public awareness. Integrating them would mean educating people first. And that takes time. A lot of it and I have at the most seven but maybe only my three remaining years in this legislature period left. I can only lay the foundation and hope that it will be enough to built a free future for those poor individuals.

“An admirable goal, Mr President.” Williams said neutrally when the silence at the end of the little speech got too oppressive. He still didn't know what all that had to do with him. He was no sane professional's idea of a public relations officer and he might have an educational major in Mathematics and English but again, there must be better teachers out there to take on such a project.

Hayes snorted. “You think so? Good. Because I dearly want to fire the idiot that is my current Head of the Feline-stables and give his job to you. After I got elected and was read into all the little details outsiders aren't aware of, including Felines, I only had a vague idea about what goes on behind these walls and I am ashamed to say, it took some time for me to get a clue and later proof that something is rotten in the State of Denmark. During the last nine years someone decided that some of the rules for handling Felines are more … flexible than originally intended. Of course the ones responsible didn't offer information, and whenever I visited personally everything was just fine. Here's what my own Secret Service Agents have been able to find out.” The President reached down and, with obvious distaste, put another file, thinner than the other ones, above John's.

The Major opened the file, took one look at the content and his face got hard as stone.

“I need a principled, honest but compassionate disciplinarian that can follow rules but knows how to bend a little bit if necessary to wipe this mess into shape again and I don't know yet who to trust in the Secret Service Feline Division. Therefore I looked for an outsider. I know this will be one hell of a job. Are you my man?”

This would be indeed a mess and even if he felt sympathy for the cause and this President's pet project, John had his doubts about taking it on. “Do I have time to decide?”

Hayes smiled. “I have a better idea.” The President held out two envelopes. “One is a pass that says you are allowed to inspect the Stables, for safety assessment, the other is your official order to take over as the Head of Stables with all rights and privileges. Which include, by the way, hiring new staff as long as they passes the Secret Services security check and firing old staff. If you still want to decline this job after taking a good, long look I won't hold it against you and you will have free choice for a posting at a base you name.”

Williams took both envelopes and felt as if he just walked into a trap.

.-#-.

Which was how he came to stand in this room, witnessing a showdown between what had to be a Feline in full cat form and his protecteé, and the staff of the Stables. 

Williams had been led through an underground tunnel into a complex of buildings hidden behind a high fence and nearly equally high hedges. None of the guards had batted an eye when he presented the first envelope, just let him in and given him a list of phone numbers if he had some questions and a silent guard to follow him around so he didn't get lost. The whole affair was creeping him out, quite frankly. Looking at the ancient, huge iron wrought glasshouse that was used as a indoor park, the infirmary, the small school, the training rooms for various purposes... and now the medical wing.

“Who are you? Didn't I tell you to go away? You can't just barge in here.” The doctor, his name tag identified him as K. Urquart, asked the Major after he had overcome his startled reaction at the intrusion and command.

It was then that John made his decision. Whatever was going on here, whoever might be responsible for the incident, that it happened at all and the aggressiveness permeating the room pointed at a need for a new, strong wind of change. “I am the new Head of Stables and I demand to know what exactly is going on here.”

The tiger rumbled deeply and intelligent green eyes narrowed in the furry face. John noted that the cat didn't give up his guard position.

“Good!” Urquart exclaimed angrily. “Parker has let things slide, that menace shouldn't have been able to get out f his area and intrude here. I want you to clear that up and see to it that it won't happen again. I have better things to do than wrestle a damaged tiger. Best would be to put him down but sometimes visitors like to chose him for decoration's sake.”

The good doctor wasn't endearing himself to Williams with his attitude. “You didn't answer my question. And you-” he turned to the guard who had entered behind him with a stun gun in his hand. “take that away again, it won't be needed. You can tell whoever is responsible for the staff that I want everyone if at all possible present next morning at 0600 hours. Go.”

One nurse, with a hospital gown in her hands, slowly, step by step, neared the cat corner, the garment held out like an offering. The tiger let her pass, his eyes focused on the doctor and John. It gave the Major the opportunity to take a look at the girl. His breath stoked. She cowered under the table, her knees drawn against her chest and looked at him with eyes that were dove gray, slit pupil-ed and too big to belong in a normal human's face. He wouldn't call her a conventional beauty, her nose was a little big and kind of crooked, her mouth too big and her face too angular but she was certainly exotic. Her skin had a golden tan and he could see short golden fur on her tights and forearms. Tufts of darker fur at the peak of her ears. And tears on her anxious face. That girl was scared half to death.

“We just tried to give her a medical, standard before presenting her to a visitor.” Doctor Urquart proclaimed stiffly. 

The tiger, after assessing the watching men one more time, turned around and head butted the female Feline, rubbed his face against her shins.

“I don't like Mr Takagi. I don't! I won't serve him! Ask P'tricia, she likes that stuff, I don't!” The girl shouted shrilly, snatched the gown and ambled into it as fast as she could, to her guardian's rumbling approval.

Williams had read that lending Felines out as a favor to important allied visitors, just as accessories and companions to make them feel welcome, was an old tradition. Felines were trained to be amusing companions, musicians, artists, conversationalists. Sexual duties were, by the rule book, reserved for permanent owners. It looked like that last file Hayes had given him to read had been telling the truth, someone had taken an unneeded step in the wrong direction and John would take any bet that a lot of money had changed hands in the process.

The Major watched for a moment how both Felines allowed the nurse to stay near them. Then he took stock of the other people in the room. Neutral, annoyed and compassionate. All of those categories were present with the Doctor in the annoyed section. 

“Doctor?”

“Mr. Takagi is an important business associate and he wished to have H'dira as his temporary companion again during his stay. We didn't intend to harm the female, only give her something to calm down her nerves.”

Not good enough as an explanation for John, by far. This man made all his instincts cry out in disgust. He would be one of the first fired, the official reason provided by the quack himself. Pimping out Felines was forbidden. Williams would ask the legal department to make sure that his license was revoked and additionally, if possible, sue him to his last shirt. 

But now, how to assess fast who was acting professional and compassionate towards the Felines, who had followed orders blindly and not cared and who had followed because they feared repercussions? 

Williams pondered for a moment and then turned to one of the nurses. “Please let it be known that the Stables are closed until further notice.”

“What?!” more than one voice exclaimed.

A thin, unpleasant smile played around the Major's lips. “Cite an illness, if you have to.” There was certainly a lot of rotten morals to be found.

Urquart was nearly purple in the face with anger. “I don't know who you think you are, but you are meddling in things you know nothing about.”

“I, at least, have read the rule book and prostitution is forbidden, is it not?”

“Permanent owner or temporal, it doesn't make much of a difference.” the good doctor waved the argument aside casually and then stumbled back when an angry, big paw swiped at his legs.

“Damn menace!”

The tiger had strolled over to them silently, overlooked by the doctor who had concentrated more on the intruder who threatened his position than the cat. How someone could strike such a vivid presence from their mind eluded the Major. And it was he himself that was the main focus of the big cat now, not Urquart.

Eyes so green that they seemed to glow from within stared up at him and to the soldier it seemed as if they wanted to see into his very soul. Whatever he had found made the Feline take the two final steps that separated them and cautiously sniff at his hand. John didn't think that petting was wanted, this was a human inside and he himself would hate to be touched by a virtual stranger, so he held still.

“Take my advice and remove him, put him down. He is damaged. Always breaking rules, causing a ruckus, not manageable. One day he will really bite someone.” Urquart, maybe in a play to give Williams a new target, urged.

“Damaged?”

“Stuck in cat form, since his 'Virgin Morph'. A pity, since tiger-felines are very rare and sought after. He was quite pretty as a full human, it's a damn waste. No one would want him as their permanent Feline companion now.”

Being stuck was a fate John couldn't imagine, but it was no reason to be killed. It wasn't this Feline's fault that nature had played a trick on him twice over. “Why is he sniffing me?”

Urquart just shrugged his shoulders. It was the little female who answered. “A'thon wants to know if you are honest.”

“By my smell?” John looked down and could have sworn that the tiger was smirking at him.

H'dira tugged the gown closer around her. “Sure.”

“Human lie detectors?” That could have been very useful in a lot of situations he had found himself in over the years. It could be useful now.

“No, not as such. But we learn fast to tell if someone is randy by his hormone output, if someone is nervous and smells like cold sweat, if someone is overly aggressive. A'thon seems to think you are not bad or he would have backed off by now and I trust his judgment, he always knows the dangerous or really awful ones. You won't force me to entertain Mr Takagi?”

“No.” So not really lie detectors but a useful skill to have nevertheless. “I take a wild guess and say that Dr. Urquart never passed your friend's judgment.”

The female Feline ignored the sputtering Doctor and snorted, not even bothering with a verbal answer. It was good to see that she had a hardy personality. And she wasn't the only interesting individual deserving of protection here, be it Feline or staff.

Major John Williams, USMC and new Head of Stables took a deep breath, mentally making a list of men and women he had served with who might be interested in joining him, exchange the dangers of a battlefield for the minefield he had found here. One thing he didn't doubt at all: he wouldn't be bored soon.

.-#-.

November 2003

“Mr President, you wanted to see me?” Major Williams stood at attention. 

“Good morning John, please sit down.” Hayes greeted him with a smile. They had a lot of meetings in the past months and the Major had started to sit down at the place on his side of the huge desk with more surety and less hesitance.

“You remember how that sniper tried to shoot me?” 

“Very clearly.” John still wanted to ream some Secret Service Agents' asses. Well, he had done so for his division during the first months of his new job a lot. He had the practice and could, for special cases, branch out to the main idiots as well. That sniper had been very good, but that's why the President's security should be the best in the world and not dependent on the help of some Navy Cop, former Marine sniper or not.

Hayes chuckled amusedly. They had had this discussion before. “Don't make such a dour face. I am still breathing, thanks to that Special Agent. I think he deserves a special reward.”

Williams looked at the thick file that was waiting for him this time. “Does he?” There had been only one Feline leaving the Stable since he had taken over. 

“You tell me. Take a look.”

The Beginning.


End file.
